The BC Federation of Labour released a report today criticizing the government’s record on worker health and safety. Among their criticisms are claims that permanent injuries and deaths among young workers have increased, and that benefits under WCB have been reduced.
The Facts
-
The BC Federation of Labour has a very narrow and selective use of the facts.
-
Workers Compensation Board statistics confirm that workplace safety has dramatically improved in the province since we took office.
-
For example, WCB has in fact reported that youth deaths over the last four years were actually significantly LOWER than the NDP’s last four years – 30 deaths between 1998 and 2001 compared to 27 between 2001 and 2004.
-
Injury rates, claims and days lost to injuries are also lower. According to the WCB’s Statistics 2003 report:
- The injury rate is the lowest it has been since 1994. It has steadily decreased from 5.2 claims per 100 person-years of employment in 1994 to 3.0 in 2003, decreasing every year since we took office – this is down by more than 40%.
- The number of claims for new injuries reported to WCB in 2003 has dropped by 22% since 1994 (from 197,911 in 1994 to 154,443 in 2003).
- The total number of days lost due to claims in 2003 was the lowest it has been since 1999, having dropped 23% (steadily decreasing from 3,606,932 days lost in 1999 to 2,765,230 in 2003).
- This drop in days lost includes reductions in key sectors including:
- Forestry days lost down 26% – from 148,930 in 1999 to 109,603 in 2003
- Oil and Gas and Mining days lost down 42% – from 43,996 to 25,702
- Construction days lost down 30% – from 400,913 to 308,311
- Accommodation and Food Service days lost down 30% – from 224,984 to 157,762
- Health Care and Social Services days lost down 43% – from 458,910 to 259,989
-
Our safety officer to worker ratio is one of the highest in the country: in BC we have about 8 officers to every 100,000 workers. In comparison, in Ontario there are approximately 5 officers per 100,000 workers. Consequently, the number of investigations and the dollar value of penalties are significantly higher in 2004 than in 2000. WCB is now in the process of hiring 12 more enforcement officers.
-
WCB benefits remain among the most generous in Canada and, indeed, the world in terms of providing fair compensation to injured workers and their families. Among the provinces, B.C. has the 3rd highest percentage of total compensation funded in the country.
